


Moirai

by greysith



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Ahch-To, Don't Be Afraid I Feel It Too, F/M, Force Bond, Force Bond (Star Wars), Kylo Ren - Freeform, Luke Skywalker - Freeform, POV Alternating, POV Kylo Ren, POV Rey (Star Wars), POV Third Person Omniscient, Rey - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-09-27 09:19:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9996869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greysith/pseuds/greysith
Summary: It's been six weeks since Kylo Ren last saw Rey, and she's been haunting his dreams. During another nightmare, Kylo realizes that maybe his dreams are not just his own, but something more. Something that will lead him straight to Luke Skywalker.





	1. Chapter 1

Kylo Ren sprung up in bed, covered in sweat. Another dream. They’d been haunting him every night since Starkiller.  Frustrated, he fell back down and shut his eyes.  It had been six weeks since his spectacle of weakness, and he still had the wounds to show for it.

Kylo got out of bed and made his way towards the washroom. Analyzing himself in the mirror, he traced the scar tissue which cut through his face. He reached to his side and felt flesh which was still swollen. Closing his eyes again, he relived the memories. As he stepped into the ‘fresher he felt the hot water sting in every wound, and he concentrated on the pain. 

_ How much longer?  _ Kylo thought to himself, as this had become his morning routine.

He was tired of meditation, tired of waiting for his fickle body to heal. Snoke had demanded his body be in full working condition before he was allowed to return to his mission.

_ “You’re no good to me dead.”  _ His master’s words echoed in his head.

Kylo struggled not to think too much about what this meant. A voice deep inside questioned this--but Kylo pushed it down.  _ Snoke knows best _ , he told himself.

Stepping out of the ‘fresher Kylo dried himself off. He put a pot of caf on as he was getting dressed. Layer after layer, he draped the dark robes onto himself and sat at the edge of the bed. As he waited for his caf to brew, he contemplated the dream again. It was the same dream as last night, and the night before. The dreams never started the same way, but they always had the same ending. The scavenger-- _ Rey _ \--standing above his fallen body, with his Uncle’s lightsaber in hand. Except unlike his vivid memory, they are not on Starkiller Base. It always ends with her blade dead-center through his chest.

His heartbeat quickened at the thought. Fear began to creep into him like a slow fog, and he focused on that feeling.  Concentrating, he felt his fears turn to anger and with that, he was ready to start his day. He finished his caf quickly, and paced to where he kept his helmet. After putting it on, Kylo went back to the mirror. He saw no fear in his reflection, only cold, hard, anonymity. Then he made his way to the training room.

Kylo marched down the hallway, passing several stormtroopers on his way.  He was acutely aware of their stammering hearts and shallow breaths as he passed--their fear was something he’d grown accustomed to. Contrary to the advisement of Supreme Leader Snoke, Ren did not train against his Knights. He knew it would be more practical to train against living beings, but his ego would have none of it. He was in no condition to go up against his subordinates. He wouldn’t risk making a mistake in combat and have his authority questioned. Besides, he could tear the the retired battle droids to pieces without consequence.

During his first week back, Kylo had barely been able to take on one training droid. This week he started off with four. After switching them all on, he pulled a staff down from the weapons wall. He was reluctant to use such a primitive, unrefined tool, but he was told that there was simply ‘no budget’ for replacing the singed scrap metal he was used to leaving behind. 

As the droids charged towards him, Kylo stood in the center poised to kill. He swung the staff into the old C-B3 droid and watched it stammer backwards. Spinning around, he struck another in its chest. He imagined the droids as enemies of the First Order as rage pulsed through his body. 

After several hours, Kylo deemed it appropriate to finish for the day. He dismantled a total of twelve droids; a record since he’d been injured. Still, he wasn’t satisfied. Leaving the mess behind, Kylo made his way back to his corridor where a droid would surely have rations waiting. As he walked through the hallway to his room, he passed General Hux and several other officers. Ren sneered at their camaraderie. He had no desire to sit in the mess hall and make small-talk with their group of goons, even if they  _ had _ asked asked him to join them.

Kylo ate facing one of the room’s durasteel walls. Bleak and plain was how he preferred things to be. Less clutter meant fewer reminders. Eating slowly, he glanced at the time. It was arbitrary, considering the constant interstellar travel, but logging the hours put Kylo at ease. A new habit, formed from long days of isolation and recovery.

He decided that he’d spend his afternoon meditating. It was far from his favourite activity, but after exhausting all physical capability and having being permitted to do nothing else, he folded. He sat in the middle of his barren floor and attempted to concentrate.  

It didn’t take long before  _ she _ interrupted his thoughts. He was sick of it, her incessant interruptions. Whether it be in his dreams, during meditation, or any other moment of the day, he couldn't control it. When Kylo closed his eyes, he saw the scavenger digging her toes in the sand as waves crashed against her shins. 

“Kriff,” Kylo swore to himself.

He felt her happiness swell inside him, and it made his stomach curl into a knot. He wasn’t sure where these feeling were coming from, but they were unpleasant and exhausting. He shut his eyes tighter as if to squeeze the daydream out. But she didn’t go anywhere, and after several tiresome attempts Kylo abandoned meditation completely. He spent the rest of the day skimming holos and sipping Corellian brandy.

Eventually, Kylo fell into a restless sleep. When he awoke--or his consciousness did--he was relieved to find an unfamiliar setting. Instead of Rey standing above him, there was no one. Pushing himself to his feet, he scanned the scenery. He realized he’d never paid much attention to their particular location in this too-familiar dream, and he wondered if it’d been this place every time. 

His gaze stopped at the shore. It was  _ her.  _ She was just... sitting there. With her knees tucked close to her chest, she faced the ocean. She hadn’t seen him. 

Kylo stood in the middle of a patchy green field. He was completely bewildered. It was the first time in ages that he felt this conscious in his dreams, or at least  _ alive _ long enough to think about it. But what exactly  _ was  _ this? Why was he here? And why wasn’t he dead yet? 

Slowly, Kylo began to walk in her direction. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do when he got to her. Ask what she was doing? Ask what  _ he _ was doing? He knew it was a dream, but even a fabricated social interaction had him stiff and uncomfortable. He stood a few steps behind her, and realized the wind was loud enough to cover the sound of his footsteps. He cleared his throat. 

Rey startled and spun around, seeming genuinely perplexed. “Why are you here?” 

“Why--I?” he shut his mouth.  He started over in a more collected tone.  “Why am _ I  _ here? In my own dream? What a ridiculous notion--”

_ “Your  _ dream?” she interrupted. Kylo’s eyes narrowed.  “So if I don’t kill you, I get this instead?” She gestured up and down to regard Kylo in his entirety, making a face.

“Kill me?”  he echoed, choosing to ignore her quip about his appearance. 

“Like I always do,” she mused. The image of her blade piercing his chest flashed quickly before his eyes.

Her blithe demeanor was becoming more and more agitating. 

“I’ve had enough of this repartee,” he snapped. “You will tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t have to tell you anything.” Rey replied, sounding colder. “In fact, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave.” 

“Enlighten me on how to do so  _ scavenger _ , ” he emphasized, matching her animosity. “And I will gladly leave this island.”

The moment the words left his tongue, it hit him like a blaster shot to the chest. He could hear his own voice, taunting her only a month and a half before.

_ You imagine an ocean. _

This desert rat should have no idea what an ocean looks like, let alone a kriffing island. 

_ I see it, I see the island. _

She might have seen holos as a child, but as he looked over the rags she wore he doubted that she ever had those luxuries. Besides, he knew in his gut this was it. This was what he’d been waiting for. Before he had a chance to say anything else, Kylo felt himself being pulled out of the dream and into consciousness. 

He woke with such ferocity that he shot upward, nearly straining something. Twisting around, he put his fist straight through the headboard. He was brimming with frustration, as if any moment he would spill over and explode. 

_ How could I be so blind? _

The realization dawned on him that this was not in fact, all bad news. He knew where he needed to go. He  _ knew  _ where Luke Skywalker was. Or he at least had enough information to find him. And he had the opportunity to bring him down himself. Momentarily, he allowed pride to creep into his core.

Quickly, he rushed to grab a few necessities before leaving his quarters. Avoiding attention, he made his way to the hangar where his ship was stored.

He had been so busy feeling sorry for himself that he completely lost sight of the mission. Lost sight of what he had been working towards for years now. As he sat in the cockpit of the TIE fighter, he contemplated whether or not he had even lost sight of who he was. Either way, it didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was that he knew where Luke Skywalker was, and he was about to go get him. 


	2. Chapter 2

Rey opened her eyes, still curled on her side under layers of blankets. The lack of light told her that it wasn’t time to get up yet. She shifted on to her back and stared upwards, listening to the rain patter against the material draped over the cave’s entrance. The wind pushed through the door, allowing the cool morning air to creep in.  A low grumble erupted from the sky, presumably what had woken her moments earlier. Rey smiled, and sunk further into the covers, reveling in the warmth. She had seen plenty of storms since she’d gotten to Ahch-To, but they never failed to mesmerize her.

Closing her eyes, Rey tried to fall back asleep. She tried not to think about the strange dream she was having before the thunder woke her, but failed. An image of a confused Kylo Ren standing over her by the shore crept into her head, making her stomach lurch. 

Just a dream, she assured herself.

She pushed the image away, but couldn’t rid the unease which swelled in her core. She sighed, realizing that closing her eyes was useless. The image had shaken her awake.

Getting out of bed, Rey contemplated how she would spend the next few hours. Luke wouldn’t be awake until the sun was up, and from the shade of black that blanketed the sky, Rey knew that wouldn’t be for a while. She slipped on a cotton undershirt and brown linen pants, deciding to walk down to the shore.

When Rey had first arrived, Luke had been residing in a cliffside cavern towards the interior of the island. Since then, they’d set up camp closer to the ocean, near a collection of caves lining the hills along the beach. Rey felt the sand beneath her feet become harder as she approached the cresting waves. She took several steps into the water and sat down. Feeling the warm ocean rush against her and back out again, she stared outward into the darkness.

She remembered her dream again, as she was sitting in the same position as when Kylo had approached her. It wasn’t strange for her to be sitting in the tidepool; she sat in this spot nearly everyday. It was strange that  _ he’d _ been there, in a dream so different from the others he imposed on. She told herself that she was overthinking, overanalyzing, but couldn’t shake the feeling that something felt off. A strange anxiety swelled inside her, and she focused on the sound of the crashing waves.

A while later, she looked up. The rain had cleared, the clouds breaking to reveal the night sky becoming illuminated by the rising sun. Rey hadn’t realized how long she’d been in the water. As she stood and walked back towards the camp, she glanced down to find her feet looking more like Dressellian prunes than toes and smiled.

Rey walked past Luke’s cave, hearing that he was awake. She slipped into her own, changing into a dry set of undergarments. Unsure of what she would be doing that day, she dressed in a dry pair of pants and a tattered long-sleeved tunic. She pushed aside the convor-feather tarp which served as a door to her cave. Luke sat outside between the entrances of their caves, preparing wood to make a fire. Hanging her wet clothes on a nearby tree, she heard the ignition of Luke’s lightsaber. She turned to see him using it to spark the fire. It was the only thing he’d used it for ever since she’d returned it to him.

Sitting down across from him, Rey spoke first. “Good morning,” she said.

“Oh, morning Rey.” He seemed only vaguely aware that she was there at all.

Silence lingered in the air as they both stared at the budding embers of the fire.

“Sleep well?” Rey offered.

She wasn’t sure who was more awkward. Neither of them were used to small talk. While she felt happy for his company, Rey was uncomfortable in these quiet moments. He was incredibly hard to read, and she could only wonder if he felt the same way.

“I slept...fine,” Luke answered in a tone which sounded less than truthful.

“Good,” Rey forced a smile in his direction.

Luke opened a woven basket of food. Half was filled with dried meats from the smaller animals which roamed the island, and the other with fresh fruit from the trees which grew towards the interior. He offered some to Rey, who took a handful of each, and they ate in silence.

Rey wanted to ask him so many questions, but her questions were always met with ambiguous and unsatisfying answers. She was told Luke came here to find the first Jedi temple, but when she asked if he had found it he said, “Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view.”

She was under the impression his words were laced with some deeper meaning, but it was clear to her that he wasn’t willing to share.

“Rey, I’m going towards the interior today to gather some more food and firewood. Would you like to come?” Luke asked.

She could tell that he was asking to be polite, not because he genuinely wanted her company. She declined, and fought the urge to point out that they had more than enough food. Looking towards Luke’s cave, she saw six more stocked-full woven baskets. Luke got up from the fire and made his way to where a well was drilled for fresh water.  He poured some into a canteen which he slid into the side pocket of his robes.

“I’ll be back before sundown,” Luke assured her.

Rey didn’t reply as she watched him walk away from their camp. She felt frustration brewing inside her, and she wrestled back and forth with it. She’d been on the island for six weeks now, and he still showed no signs of leaving. The only time Rey had left Ahch-To since she’d gotten there was when she flew off-world to a nearby asteroid, looking for signal on the comlink  General Organa had given her. Rey had done so several weeks earlier while Luke was on another berry-gathering mission. She voiced her concerns to Luke’s sister, hoping the general would understand where she was coming from, but was disappointed.

“As long as you're both safe, that’s all I care about right now. We’ve got everything covered on this end,” Leia assured her. “He just needs time, that’s all. It was hard on all of us. I’m sure any day now he’ll come to his senses — ”

Rey frowned at the memory. She didn’t have the heart to tell General Organa just how far she felt Luke was from returning. That, and Rey didn’t want to let her down. After everything she’d been through, after Han, after...Rey stopped mid-thought and shut her eyes. It still stung, even for her. Determination swallowed the sadness however, and Rey decided she wouldn’t wait any longer. As hard as it was going to be, she needed to confront Luke about returning home and it couldn’t wait another day. She’d had it.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rey sat inside her cave for hours, carving into the firewood with a small knife she’d held onto since Jakku. It was a hobby she’d formed out of boredom, and over the weeks she’d been getting better at it. Ahch-To was an easy planet to survive on, and since Luke was reluctant to give her any training which didn’t involve scavenging for food, she was left with ample amounts of free time. She looked down towards the figure she was carving and decided that its facial features weren’t quite right. She tossed it into a pile of unfinished and ruined figurines. She wanted something to give Finn when she returned. She missed her friend and wanted him to know she hadn’t forgotten him.

Rey stepped outside and sat by the ashes of the fire. Putting a few logs on, she considered how she would start her conversation with Luke. The sky was aflame with reds and yellows now, the sun starting to dip below the horizon.

_ Where is he? _

Anticipation blurred into frustration as she watched the sun set. The sky was now a purple hue ribboned with dark clouds, she started to eat more of their preserved food.  When she heard a rustling through the imposing trees behind her, the only light left was from the embers in the fire. Luke stepped into sight.

“You said you would be back by sundown,” she said, not taking her eyes off the fire.

She could hear that Luke was taken aback by her tone.

“I lost track of time. I’m sorry if I worried you,” he replied.

“You didn’t,” she said.

“Is something the matter, Rey?”

“Why are you here? Why won't you let me take you back?” 

“There's more to this than you could understand,” he said after a pause.

She was sick of hearing that. It was the only semblance of an answer he’d given her, and it wasn't good enough. 

“Then explain it to me. We've got time,” she said.

“It's no use. There's nothing you can do, nothing  _ anyone _ can do now,” Luke replied.

Rey felt her nails digging into her palms, which were balled into fists. “I'm sick of these cryptic responses. I've come all this way and I’ve been waiting for weeks for  **anything** and you refuse to even  _ talk _ to me — ”

Luke cut her off. “Rey, calm down. Anger is not the way.”

“You — you have no right to tell me to calm down.” Rey stood up and took a step towards him. “Do you even know what people have gone through to get you back? People are  _ dying _ and the only thing you seem to care about is getting fruit and meditating. How can you be so cold?” Luke opened his mouth to speak but she wouldn't let him. “Your best friend is dead, your nephew  _ killed him _ , and instead of being there for your sister you're  _ here _ _ — _ doing  **what** exactly?” She spoke through gritted teeth.

He didn’t reply. He just looked at her, with clear blue eyes that saw nothing and too much all at once. She felt foolish for expecting he might actually give her a meaningful answer.  “Forget it,” Rey continued. “Clearly I'm wasting my breath.”  Again, she waited for him to offer something,  _ anything,  _ but her words just hung in the air as he stared at her. She shook her head. “I'm going to bed,” she announced, heading to her cave and not looking to see if he would follow her. He didn't.

Climbing into her single-person cot, Rey could feel her heart pounding in her ears. Frustration was an understatement. The longer she tried to be calm about what had just transpired, the more agitated she became. She was restless, the anger building up inside of her and threatening to erupt. It made sleep impossible. Sick of this meaningless routine, Rey decided she wouldn’t wait around any longer. If Luke wasn’t willing to leave she couldn’t force him to, but maybe they didn’t need him after all. It seemed like the entire galaxy had been holding their breath for the great Luke Skywalker to return, but Rey was beginning to feel like they had him all wrong. The Luke Skywalker they knew sounded nothing like the shell of a man she’d spent the last six weeks with. Rey was done waiting for him to come around. If the first Jedi temple had answers that Luke wasn’t willing to share, then she would go and find it herself.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Kylo snapped out of hyperspace, he saw Ahch-To rapidly approaching. It had taken nearly a full day’s time to travel to the Outer Rim of the galaxy. Breaking into the planet’s atmosphere, he realized it was nighttime. 

Kylo circled the oceanic planet until he found the island he was looking for.  After he found a flat piece of earth, he slowly lowered his ship to the ground. He knew the island was not Luke’s. The TIE fighter lacked discretion and would require some planning to remain unseen. Leaning back against the seat he disengaged the engines, their low hum winding down to a halt. Momentarily he stayed there, feeling the energy of the Force swell within him. It was strong here.

_ This is it.  _

Marching down the ramp of his ship, Kylo stopped as if meeting an audience. His boots clanked against metal with every step, but he was met with silence when he stepped on to the soft, mossy ground. The humid air crept into his mask, filling him with an odd sense of familiarity. 

Looking to the ocean, Kylo could see a multitude of small islands in the distance. The planet itself was drowning in water, with small land masses sprinkled throughout. There was no way to pinpoint their exact location, but Kylo could feel his Uncle’s Force signature. Not expecting a confrontation, Luke had his guard down. 

Closing his eyes, Kylo reached out through a bond he didn’t want to admit existed. 

_ Why her?  _ he wondered. He stopped himself before he could think any deeper. Reminding himself why he was there, he deemed the purpose of the bond irrelevant.  _ She’s nothing but my path to Skywalker. _

Kylo broke through the connection. He could see her sitting with her legs crossed, hunched over what he could only assume was an attempt at a fire. He felt her frustration build inside him, making it hard to focus. Scanning her surroundings, he sought to memorize the topography. Rey looked up to see a constellation of stars, unknowingly giving away her position. 

Scanning the stars blanketing the night sky, Kylo searched for the same cluster of stars Rey was looking at. It didn’t take long to find, and he realized from the angle she was looking from, she couldn’t be far. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rey stared at the unlit logs before her. Remembering how Luke had used his lightsaber to ignite a fire back at his camp, she momentarily regretted returning it to him. She let out an exasperated breath. Looking skyward, Rey wondered how much longer she would be on this planet. Compared to Jakku, Ahch-To was a paradise. But she felt restless here, and waiting for Luke didn't feel any more satisfying than the waiting which had consumed her entire existence. 

Rey contemplated returning to the camp, beginning to feel guilty about her outburst, but then decided against it. It was far too late, and she doubted she’d be able to find her way back in the darkness. Anything she wanted to say would have to wait until morning. 

Rey’s head turned at the sound of branches cracking in the distance. Footsteps.  _ Luke? _ Had she gotten through to him after all? Thoughts flooded into her as she squinted, trying to see who—or what—was coming towards her. 

Whatever it was, it was getting closer. Her pulse quickened. She glanced at the ground, looking for anything she could use to defend herself. Grabbing one of the larger branches, she tucked in behind a tree. A voice in her head warned it wasn’t Luke coming to apologize. 

_ Crack. _

Rey held her breath as the footsteps stopped—the last of them only paces away from where she hid. She waited, tightening her grip on the branch. Silence. She resisted the urge to look beyond the tree, at whatever—or  _ whoever _ —was waiting for her. 

“You can drop the stick. I’m not here for a rematch.” Her gut twisted, confirming what she already knew deep down. It was  _ him _ .

She squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of his voice.  _ How did he find me? _   Briefly, she wondered if she was stuck inside one of her nightmares. 

“You’re not dreaming,” he answered her thoughts out loud. 

Rey stepped out from behind the tree, standing to face him. She kept her hands glued to the branch as her eyes fell to the hilt at his side. He didn’t reach for it. For the second time that night, Rey wished she had held onto Luke’s lightsaber. 

She looked back up to his face, his mask nowhere in sight. Rey saw the remnants of their last encounter carved into his face. She remembered the way he looked then, lying on the ground beneath her; covered in blood, his eyes filled with fear. There was no fear in Kylo’s eyes as he stared back at her now, and she wondered if he had come here to kill her. 

“What do you want?” Rey managed.

He maintained an impassive expression.

“You know why I’m here.” It wasn’t a question. 

Rey loosened her grip, but only slightly. If he wanted to kill her, she would’ve been dead already. 

Kylo looked her over, jaw tensing. “I told you I’m not here to kill you,” he repeated.

“Get out of my head,” she said through gritted teeth. 

“Your mental shields are weak. I would have expected better training from the Galaxy’s last Jedi Master,” he said. 

She narrowed her eyes. Rey tried not to think of Luke at all. Instead, she pictured blood dripping from Kylo’s face, and the fear in his eyes when he thought he was going to die. 

Scowling, Kylo pulled away from her thoughts. Rey barely felt the difference, but noted that there  _ was _ one. 

“Where is he?” Kylo asked, regaining any lost composure.

Rey stared into the darkness wondering how much longer until dawn.

“He isn’t here,” she replied, determined to keep a straight face.

Silence hung in the air between them. Kylo’s eyes narrowed. Expecting him to try her mind again, Rey made an effort to block any attempts. But she felt nothing, and knew the only voice inside her head was her own. Still, he stared at her with such intensity that Rey felt uneasy. She wondered if her expression betrayed her, if perhaps he didn’t need the Force to know what she was thinking. Rey relaxed into cold, bleak indifference.

“How noble you are, still trying to protect the wrong people,” Kylo said after a moment.

“Coming from someone who murdered their own father,” she replied, stony.

Guilt crept somewhere in the back of her mind, but she told herself any remorse she felt was misplaced. Looking at his twisted expression, she wondered…

“And yet your heroic master has slaughtered millions. I see your moral compass is in tact.” 

Rey didn’t understand what he was implying, but the venom in his voice kept her from asking. Still, she wondered what he meant. Uncomfortably shifting her weight from one side to the other, Rey realized her shoulders ached from bracing herself. 

“You’re wasting my time,” Kylo said as he started walking towards her.

Instinctively, she took a step back, attempting to maintain the distance between them. But he kept moving forward, slowly, as she continued to pace back. Twigs cracked beneath her feet, but she could barely make out the sound over that of her own heartbeat. As Kylo Ren stopped, he extended a gloved hand towards her, the familiar sight evoking a blend of fear and anger. Again, she took another step back. Only to feel her ankle hook on an overgrown root. She felt herself slipping, falling backwards— 

Except, she didn’t. 

Rey opened her eyes to find herself suspended in air. Still several steps away from her, Kylo’s gloved hand outstretched towards her. As he lowered his arm, she descended with it. Stepping down, she regained her footing.  _ What  _ was _ that?  _ Looking back at him, his placid expression revealed nothing. As if nothing strange had occurred at all. Rey opened her mouth to say something, but before the words could come he broke the silence. 

“I’m leaving, and you’re coming with me.” When Rey didn’t move, he clarified. “ _ Now.” _

Any confusion she was feeling was quickly replaced with contempt. Her blood ran cold with a renewed sense of vigor. 

“I’m not going anywhere. Especially not with  _ you _ ,” Rey spoke the last word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. 

Glancing over her shoulder, she looked to the dark woods behind her and wondered how far she could run. Kylo seemed to sense her urgency, because when she turned back around he was walking towards her. She didn’t hesitate.

Adrenaline flooded her system as she turned to run, careful not to stumble on uneven ground. She could barely see where she was going, everything blurred into shadows. Rey stumbled over something in her path, unable to keep from glancing behind her. He was still stalking towards her. Slow and steady. He reached out his hand and she felt her body go still. He was coming closer. Rey felt a fire within her ignite. A rage swirled within her core, growing with every step he took.

Kylo didn’t stop until he was close enough to touch. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to speak, to scream—but nothing came. Completely frozen, she stared at him with eyes like daggers.

_ Lightsaber or no, I’m going to kill you _ , she promised herself. 

In that moment, she regretted hesitating the last time they’d met.  _ I will not make that mistake again. _

One corner of Kylo’s mouth crooked upwards, and Rey knew he’d heard those thoughts. 

He spoke in a low, exacting tone. “I’m finished playing games. This will go one of two ways. Either you choose to cooperate and show me  _ where _ on this island Skywalker is, or I’ll retrieve it from your memories before I kill you and him both.”

Still unable to speak, Rey projected her thoughts outwards.  _ I’m not like you. I won’t sacrifice Luke to darkness. _

Kylo hesitated for a moment. “Contrary to what you believe, it is in my best interest to have you both alive.” 

Rey sensed sincerity in his response but couldn’t fathom why. Either way, it didn’t matter. She didn’t believe for a moment that he would stay true to his word. Certainly, he would kill her and Luke both as soon as he got…whatever it was that he wanted. But maybe Luke would snap out of it. Surely he would, with his life on the line. They would travel to Luke’s camp, and he would see her with Kylo Ren—surely he would take action. Hope began to bloom within her, and she hoped that Kylo hadn’t heard the entirety of what she was thinking.

She projected again.  _ Alright I’ll take you there.  _

Trying her hardest to be sincere, Rey met his eyes with a soft look. He seemed satisfied. Kylo took a small step backwards and released her from the invisible bind. 

The moment Rey regained autonomy she swung at him with an open palm, connecting with the side of his face. It was hard enough to stun him. Kylo reeled, mouth falling open. Her hand stung. 

“Don’t _ ever _ do that again,” Rey said.

Kylo’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t argue. She looked at him for a brief moment before she began to walk in the direction of Luke’s camp. He followed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to tumblr user holocroning for being the worlds best (and most patient) beta


End file.
